The new farm is innovative and sustainable

Published on Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Enel will be Innovation Partner of Bonifiche Ferraresi, thus contributing to the birth of the first energy independent rural district in Italy

The future starts again from tradition. Even agriculture, the oldest and most established form of production over the centuries, can be enriched by the development of new technologies for the benefit of environmental protection and process optimisation. With this conviction Enel and Bonifiche Ferraresi - the largest Italian farm, with about 5500 hectares of agricultural land use - have formed a partnership for the construction of what will actually be a "new farm". A space that, thanks to the integrated use of modern technology to improve the efficiency and the storage of energy, will become the first energy-independent rural district in Italy.

Enel, which has placed innovation at the heart of its development strategy, will then operate as Innovation Partner to support Bonifiche Ferraresi’s expansion programme. The first actions will focus on three areas of the farm: the new rice mill, the university campus and the new stables. Thanks to technology developed by Enel, Bonifiche Ferraresi will acquire infrastructure to rationalise consumption, "electrifying" the agricultural machinery and service vehicles and obtaining white certificates thanks to the installation of renewable energy plants and electric storage systems.

Leveraging on its experience in the sector, Enel will connect a business incubator, linked to the activities of the university campus of Bonifiche Ferraresi, with startups, universities and research centres around the world, from Israel to the United States from South America Northern Europe.

"The partnership with Bonifiche Ferraresi shows how, through innovation and sustainability, it’s possible to increase competitiveness for companies and for the country", emphasised Enel’s CEO Francesco Starace. "Enel proposes cutting-edge solutions that will ensure full energy independence to the whole rural district, launching at the same time a business accelerator dedicated to agriculture, which will join Enel‘s ecosystem for startups".

The agreement with Bonifiche Ferraresi is part of a broader synergy between Enel and the world of agriculture. As part of the latest edition of Fieragricola, held in Verona, Enel signed two important partnerships in the primary sector. One, signed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, aims to achieve three objectives: increase energy efficiency and reduce costs in the meat chain, enhance its competitiveness and support the sustainability of production processes. The second partnership, between Enel Energia and national agricultural organisations, represented by Coldiretti and Agrinsieme, provides discounts on electricity and gas supply and advice on how to improve efficiency and further reduce the cost of the bill.

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